Nine years in jail for drunk driver who dragged mother-of-five to her death and then fled to Spain

Jailed: drunk driver Kevin Stagg ran over a mother and dragged her for 200 yards

A drunk driver who ran over and mother of five and dragged her body for 200 yards has been jailed for nine years.

Kevin Stagg spent the day drinking after winning a large bet on the horses and then went on to a karaoke night in Exmouth, Devon.

The 55-year-old ran over fellow party goer Susan Dare, 43, in his Metro and carried on with her under the wheels for up to 200 yards, unaware she was there.

He dumped it in a pub car park with his victim still trapped under the wheels and staggered off without noticing her body sticking out from beneath the bonnet.Susan was dead by the time rescuers freed her from the vehicle.

The case has taken three years to come to court because Stagg fled to Spain and was tracked down and brought home on an international arrest warrant.

He denied responsibility, claiming that Susan had collapsed, hit her head, and died before being hit by his car.

The jury at Exeter Crown Court heard he had drunk beer at lunchtime then shared three bottles of wine with friends at the karaoke night in the Clinton Arms pub in Exmouth.

He was still almost three times over the drink drive limit when police tracked him down to his home three hours after the accident.

Stagg, of Mountain Close, Exmouth, denied causing death by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol but was found guilty by a jury at Exeter Crown Court.

Judge Graham Cottle jailed him for nine years and told him: 'This was a case with a truly horrific outcome. You were seriously under the influence of drink when you began to drive.

'Your actions were extraordinary considering you had already hit one pedestrian and chose to drive on. In drink you failed to see the deceased in the path of your vehicle.

'That failure was entirely attributable to the drink you had taken. You were clearly aware there was something wrong with your car but you didn't stop to investigate.

'A careful and competent driver would have done so and if you had, the deceased would probably not have died.

Sammie Dare, above, was at court to see Stagg jailed for killing her mother

'The consequence was that she died in truly horrific circumstances as a result of being run over and dragged beneath the vehicle.

'You were clearly under the influence but you did not stop to investigate and left the car with her trapped underneath it.'

During the week-long trial Mr Sean Brunton, prosecuting, said everyone involved in the tragedy had been at the same karaoke night party.

He said:'This was a Saturday night out at the pub which went very badly wrong with tragic consequences.